Theme: Ratio

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.CORE: The centre of a Great Film

The beauty of a film is in its ability to take you on a journey, looking around you realising everyone is carrying on with their lives oblivious to the emotional venture you’ve just undertaken all at the hands of a moving picture. A remarkable movie can bless you with wonder through its scenes, the capability to share minds, adventures, mighty actions and great undertakings. James Bradley, the founder of Liverpool Lift-Off Film Festival revealed to .Cent what is at the beating heart of a great film.

The centre of a great film is in personal taste, but all those achieving universal praise contain specific elements at their core to drive the conclusion they were born of greatness. For James Bradley that centre is 100% the “story-everything revolves around it”. Some maintain the belief “delivery of the action from the actor, the scene dressing, the camera” are the most essential elements, but as James tells us, they are “all subordinate to the narrative”. What is the purpose of a film if not to challenge the viewer, “Great filmmaking comes from the story and that stories ability to change a person’s perspective – to give insight, to emotionally educate, to entertain at the deepest of levels.”

Season Winner: Worship by Calum Macdiarmid

Anyone can make a good film, but the creation of a great film is birthed from somewhere else entirely. Every viewer screams to be taken on a voyage and James is no exception, being a believer in “total-emotional submersion” inside all forms of film, from music videos, a live action short or documentary’s. Artistry should know no bounds, “originality is everywhere happening to everyone every single day and it takes a very few select bunch to tap into that. Great filmmakers do this – they are the pure artists of art itself- and anyone who denies that hasn’t seen Back to the Future Part 2.”

Best Documentary: Francis B. Griffin by Paul Griffin

Shedding the mask of mass media globalisation to unveil the true root of a great film is the Liverpool Lift-Off Film Festival, one of six international Lift-Off events stretching from LA to Tokyo. Their motto “Look beyond the gloss. Put talent before technology” projects the importance of the film makers chosen subject, not what it is they shoot. Lift-Off’s founder, James says “a machine operator doesn’t make a film, artists do”, technology in film is important but honesty and creativity are vital.

Stripping a film back to the basics and avoiding the pressures to make any production look ‘beautiful’ is Liverpool Lift-Off’s aim, “-push to change this distraction. A filmmaker that can make an amazing film on any camera has a career forever.”